I was unemployed for 9 months when I started my course with Strive. After finishing University, I was seeking a job in the media industry, which was very challenging overall. However, once I finally found a great company who wanted me as part of their team as a production runner, Covid-19 hit and they were unable to take me on permanently after just a week of being there. Prior to this, I was working at a jewellery store whilst studying my university degree, however the store was closing at the end of March 2020 so the timing for everything could not have gone more wrong.

I was left feeling very frustrated, as the day I finally was starting my career, it was very quickly taken away from me. Throughout the beginning months of the pandemic, I was struggling to find work anywhere, especially in the media industry. I began considering different career paths as I wasn’t sure when this would all blow over. However, even administration jobs were not getting back to me, as I lacked the experience. I had no choice but to apply for universal credit in May 2020 and was assigned to a work coach who referred me to Strive Training. I applied for the Employability course at the end of last year and was enrolled within a matter of days.

I was a little unsure of how effective learning remotely would be as I had never experienced anything like it before. However, it definitely surprised me, and I had a very positive experience. Firstly, this course was fully funded, which is astonishing considering how much information, resources (e.g. improving your CV on Employability Plus), and insight you are given. I do not think I would have had as much insight or understanding into what it takes to apply for civil service positions had I not completed this course. Secondly, it was great just being able to learn from the comfort of your home but still have a social and fun experience as you’re able to connect with others and quickly, in my case, find friends who are also in the same position as you.

It was a really fun experience; surprisingly, my group did not want to leave after the course was over!

I would definitely recommend Strive Training to others, and in fact already have, as it not only gave me the tools I needed to improve my job applications, but it allowed me to land the first job I had applied for since completing the course: working for the DWP as a Work Coach!

I am grateful for all the insight I was given, which has resulted in me being employed by a great company and taken away so much stress from my shoulders.